The present invention relates to a device for absorbing and storing liquid and solid waste matter passed from the body, and more particularly to a device for absorbing and storing urine, faeces or monthly bleeding excreted from a bedridden person or patient.
As is well known, disposable paper diapers have been widely used by bedridden persons to collect bodily excretion for eventual disposal. These disposable diapers, however, have some defects. For instance, they are unusually large and unpleasing in appearance around the buttocks. The care required for the storage and transportation, and disposal after use is difficult. The application and removal from a bedridden person or patient is complicated. Finally the diaper has an unpleasant feeling when wet with urine.
In an attempt to reduce such disadvantages a urine or monthly bleeding absorber was proposed. It is composed of a surface sheet and a foam back laid on each other and sealed along their peripheries to provide a liquid absorbing-and-storing space therebetween. The absorber is small in size, and is like a bicycle saddle in shape.
Such a bicycle saddle-shaped urine absorber is free of the defects mentioned above. It also has a good fit, is easy to apply, has a reduced size, and a pleasing feeling and appearance when attached to the body. These advantages result from contouring the urine absorber so that the portion of the absorber near the crotch area of a wearer is thinner than the portion facing the bottom of a wearer, thereby permitting comfortable and easy leg movement of a patient. The absorber, however, has a reduced storage capacity because of its reduced size. The quantity of urine varies individually, ranging from 300 cc to 500 cc. A bicycle saddle-shaped urine absorber cannot cover such a relatively wide range of urine volume without an increase in size. In addition, sometimes it cannot hold the whole quantity of urine excreted thereby allowing urine leakage.